Application of Directed Graph Theory in Explaining the Role of ‎Dominating Nodes in the Peaceful Spread of Islam in South Asia

This research employs a network analysis approach, utilizing the concept of “Dominating Sets” ‎from graph theory, to examine the mechanisms behind the peaceful expansion of Islam in South ‎Asia—a region where the acceptance of the faith occurred not through military conquests, but ‎through complex cultural, commercial, and Sufi networks. In this study, key actors—including ‎the Chishti, Suhrawardi, and Naqshbandi Sufis, Muslim merchants in the ports of Gujarat and ‎Malabar, and Sufi centers in Delhi and Lahore—are modeled as “nodes,” while their ‎educational, commercial, and spiritual relations are modeled as “edges.” By calculating the ‎dominating sets, the research demonstrates how a limited number of pivotal nodes were able to ‎cover a vast portion of the socio-cultural network of South Asia, thereby shaping the trajectories ‎of Islamic influence. The findings indicate that the spread of Islam in this region was the result ‎of a multi-focal, decentralized structure rooted in social trust, wherein dominating nodes played ‎a decisive role in transmitting the religious message, forging cross-cultural bonds, and ‎consolidating Islamic identity. This paper demonstrates that the application of dominating set ‎theory can provide a novel perspective for understanding non-military religious expansion in ‎Islamic history.‎

کلیدواژه ها:

Graph Theory ، Dominating Set ، South Asia ، Islam ، Pakistan ، India ، Bangladesh‎